Lafayette based Boiler Juniors 14U volleyball team claims program's 4th AAU national title

LAFAYETTE — Bella Widmer's journey to an AAU national championship was different than some of her Boiler Juniors teammates.

The core group of the club volleyball roster had won the AAU national championship twice before, in the 11U open division three years ago and again last year as 13 year olds.

But Widmer, an incoming Benton Central freshman, hadn't.

She was on her age group's No. 2 team a year ago, so last Saturday was especially satisfying when Boiler Juniors breezed through the 14 Open bracket en route to an AAU national championship at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Florida.

"This is my first year on the team. I don't know how it was years ago," Widmer said. "The speed and the games are different. The speed is different from last year to this year."

That speed is what separates this team from others in its age group across the country, said John Shondell, who co-coaches the team with Chandra Hepler.

"Our offense is so fast. It is so advanced compared to teams we play," he said. "It is so much faster. It is really hard for teams to catch up with them, especially kids who have never played us before."

Boiler Juniors, now training out of its spacious six-court facility on Haggerty Lane in Lafayette, claimed the club's fourth AAU national championship with the three won by this current 14s age group at ages 11 and 13, as well as the club's 14U team in 2020.

This year's AAU national champion includes local products Widmer, Cali Foster (Benton Central), Lexi Shondell (McCutcheon) and Chase Lemming (Seeger), along with Arielle Hepler (Washington Stem Academy), Madison Miles, Raegan Miles, Mia Walpole and Bre Morgan (Hamilton Southeastern), Reese Resmer (Noblesville) and Caroline Ward (Tri-West).

Boiler Juniors also earned a runner-up finish last week in the 11 open division.

"You never really get used to it," said Lexi Shondell, the team's setter. "Teams get better every year so it's always exciting."

This season, though, has been a little more intriguing.

The Boiler Juniors 14 Gold team is ranked No. 1 nationally, both in the computer poll and the Volleyball Monthly poll.

Knowledgeable and experienced players who've trained together for years lends itself to implementing the uptempo attack, but it's ball control and serving improvements that have propelled this team to the one with a target on its back in every tournament it competes in.

This season, they've won The Bluegrass Open, the JVA Summerfect and Windy City Qualifier tournaments.

It's a tournament that Boiler Juniors hasn't won that is the ultimate prize though and that awaits in Indianapolis at the USA Volleyball girls junior national championships.

"It is a little bit stronger tournament," John Shondell said. "There's going to be four or five teams there that can really beat us."

While the AAU tournament title has become routine for a majority of this group's roster, it is never expected.

Therefore, it is cherished, but the annual trip to Disney has become a business adventure as much as it is a fun getaway.

The short haul to Indianapolis is where Boiler Juniors has an opportunity to elevate its status.

"There's been past seasons where we went there and haven't done our best," Foster said of the USAV nationals. "We lost matches we expected to win. With the 11s, we went and lost in the semis."

Camaraderie has been the key.

"We spend a lot of time together on and off the court," Widmer said. "We'll always go out to dinner. We're usually all together, which is important. Without bonding, you can't work together. That is what makes us more successful."

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking. 

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Boiler Juniors 14U volleyball claims program's 4th AAU national title